Time to Raise Your Fees?
© 2006 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
As service professionals, what we charge often feels highly personal and intimately tied to our sense of value and self-worth. So it's no surprise that the thought of raising our fees often causes our stomach to do a quick somersault.
But raising our fees also gives us the opportunity to create greater self-confidence and experience an increased sense of contribution and purpose in serving our clients. It's simple really, by doing the "internal" work required to decide on our new fees and actually speak them out loud, we automatically acknowledge our sense of value. It's as if we know that in the past we weren't playing fair with ourselves (by undercharging) and now we are.
Here are 3 quick tips to make raising your fees a simple, "no big deal", natural step you take in creating more success in your business.
Tip #1 Write an emotionally snappy benefit list
that speaks directly to your prospective clients' view of their world,
not yours!
If you're listing what your program or service includes then you're
not listing benefits. Benefits tell WHY the reader (or listener) should
care. Great benefits also describe a client's situation and/or result
they will achieve with your service.
Example of a weanie benefit: "You
receive 3 coaching sessions a month."
Example of an emotionally rich benefit (excerpted
from one of my client's benefit list given to her clients): "Learn
how to powerfully command and hold peoples' attention without saying
a word."
Tip #2 Create a Bold Claim that distinguishes your
work
I just finished a coaching call with one of my Platinum Inner Circle
clients, Elizabeth Hagen. Her brand is Fearless Organizing and her
new Bold Claim is "Double your revenue in 12 months by organizing
your business with my proven step-by-step systems."
You can hear how a Bold Claim like this one will set her apart from any other organizer AND naturally get entrepreneurs to pay attention to what she offers.
Tip #3 Clients rarely say "no" to your
new prices
Despite our tremendous concerns to the contrary, in actuality clients
rarely balk at our new fees. Now, what does THAT tell you???!
Yes, raising your fees can seem scary at first but after coaching hundreds of clients in my coaching programs to raise their fees (and seeing the incredible results they've achieved by being just a wee bit courageous) I can promise you that once you raise your fees you'll experience a feeling of confidence that is priceless!
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, the "Horse Whisperer for Business" delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com